Recount confirms Daren Miller District 3 loss, candidate ends up in handcuffs
Daren Miller ended up in handcuffs Monday for being "uncooperative" during a vote recount that still put him at a loss after narrowly losing his bid for the Fresno City Council District 3 runoff in November.
Miller, who in June was just shy of the six votes needed the runoff, had requested a recount less than a week after the official Fresno County election results were certified and released in late June.
But Miller actually lost two votes in Monday's recount, which indicated he received 760 votes, compared to 762 in June.
The official results released in June showed Miguel Arias leading with 1,478 votes and Tate Hill second with 768 votes. Craig Scharton was fourth with 720 votes.
Following the recount, Hill was able to maintain his position and gained votes for a total of 772 . He will face Arias in November. Arias' votes increased to 1,486 in the recount.
Fresno County Clerk Brandi Orth said by law the outcome of the race, certified in June, must change as a result of the recount in order for the new results to stand. "In this case, nothing changed," she said Tuesday. Thus, Miller remained third and the June election results remain official.
Miller paid a deposit of $7,924 for the recount, which allowed the Fresno County Election's Office to move forward with the process, Orth said.
By law, the person requesting the recount must pay the fees so taxpayers won't bear the costs. It was the first recount in Fresno County in at least six years.
The recount process had its hiccups. Miller had been given a schedule, which indicated times during which the room where the count was happening at the elections office had to be locked for security purposes.
Orth said Miller refused to leave the room when it was supposed to be locked during the lunch break. "About a quarter to noon, he was becoming agitated and loud," she said. "The room was going to be locked, but he refused to leave."
County security officers were called, Orth said, and proceeded to handcuff Miller, but he still refused to exit. He was handcuffed for about 30 minutes before the Fresno County Sheriff's Office was called, Orth said.
When deputies arrived they walked him outside. Fresno County Sheriff's Office Public Information Officer Tony Botti confirmed a deputy was eventually called to assist in the incident. The deputy had a talk with Miller, who was not arrested, Botti said.
Miller spoke with The Bee on Tuesday and said he "basically became the bad guy in the situation," and that was not his desire.
Miller said he was seeking clarification from an official in the room, and wanted to know if the outcome wasn't going to change, if he could stop the process. Miller said he was seeking information as to how much money he would get refunded if the recount was stopped at lunchtime.
Miller said his questions were going unanswered and he refused to leave the room. Orth, on the other hand, said her staff had been answering his questions all morning.
When deputies arrived, according to Miller, he agreed to go outside, which prevented him from getting arrested and charged with trespassing. "The situation should have been handled a lot more friendly," he said.
"More accommodating, especially for a person who paid a lot of money, almost $8,000."
Still, Miller wondered where the extra votes came from. He believes when there's a close election, the recount should be triggered automatically, without requiring someone to request it.
"The bigger issue is that we have an election system that needs to be worked on," said Miller, adding that the official results from June had inaccuracies.
Hill, meanwhile, was glad to hear that the race had been finalized, as he will be moving forward to face off with Arias in November.
Given that the race was still so close, Hill said it's important to emphasize the importance of having everyone vote.
"That will be part of our conversation in the community," he said. "We look forward to using this time as a way to get that message to folks so they will vote."